Mitchell Pearce will come out swinging to defend Boyd Cordner

Sport columnist

Mitchell Pearce has plenty of private regrets about his behaviour last Saturday night – but he is really angry with himself for placing Boyd Cordner in a position where his Blues spot has been brought into question.

That is eating away at him because, in his view, Cordner did nothing wrong. And Pearce will come out swinging.

This column believes Cordner can consider himself dealt with harshly after copping a $5000 fine for being asked to leave the Clovelly Hotel last Saturday evening. Intoxicated or not, Cordner remains adamant he did nothing wrong and evidence from NSW police supports his demeanour.

In fact, it was Cordner who came to the aid of teammate Pearce when he found himself in the Kings Cross lock-up at 1.30am last Sunday morning and it was Cordner's actions that may well have saved Pearce from further embarrassment.

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A Kings Cross police officer took it upon himself to later contact Roosters officials and tell them how well Cordner presented himself when he walked into the station to pay Pearce’s $500 fine at about 2am.

"A member of our staff spoke to Kings Cross police and they were very complimentary of Boyd," Roosters chief executive Brian Canavan said. "They said he handled himself in a very professional manner in a difficult circumstance."

Cordner is aware of the plaudits he received from the police but remains tight-lipped about the situation. "I think it's best forgotten now," he said. "What it is is what it is and I can't change that."

Pearce's fall from grace is an interesting one. Pearce will never admit it but he has battled his pedigree from a young age. He has always been viewed as having a "silver spoon" but the Pearce name has been hard for him to deal with.

The son of a league great, with a squeaky clean image, who is now a commissioner. That's not an easy act to follow. Take it as fact that the shadow of his father reaches into every aspect of his life. Pearce doesn't concede it publicly, but being "Junior jnr" is not an easy ask.

That's not to say that his dad is a not a huge support – they have never been closer than over the past six months. They have even taken to meditating together. And dad was his rock over the last week – along with coach Trent Robinson.

There is no excuse for his irresponsible behaviour, but it might be worth thinking about the life he has had to live and what he has had to live up to.

Greenberg strengthens resolve

NRL head of football Todd Greenberg says the recent attack on his credibility hasn't forced him to reconsider his position in the game. Greenberg was cleared of covering up Ryan Tandy's betting on games – but his reputation has taken a hit. "This only makes my resolve stronger to do this job," he said. "It has been a hard week but I think you can expect that in my job and my position. I understand that the media have a role to play in the game and you are going to get praise and criticism." John Schell, the man that Tandy owed money to and the man he placed the bets with, didn't want the issue to be made public and is disappointed that is the perception of him. Greenberg has taken heart from the support he has received. "I've had officials, coaches and players from around the game come forward and say they are behind me and they believe in me and I'm grateful for that," he said.

Gallen, Myles bury hatchet

Blues skipper Paul Gallen has a future in marketing if his instincts on a mental health campaign being run by the NRL are anything to go by. Gallen was asked by the NRL to be involved with their "What's your state of mind?" campaign, which will run through Origin. It is designed to break down stereotypes in relation to mental health. When Gallen was first asked to take part, it was suggested that he should do it with Johnathan Thurston. "When they explained it to me and were going for a 'you're not too tough to talk' message, I knew who I should do it with," Gallen said. "I thought it had to be with Nate." In case you forgot somehow, Gallen did flatten Myles with a punch during Origin last year and that caused all kinds of drama for the Blues skipper. Myles copped the fallout and the punch well. The pair have clearly put it all well and truly behind them as this shoot shows.

Claims Dogs keen on Dank

This column has seen some interesting legal documents that will claim Des Hasler and the Dogs were keen to employ Stephen Dank and Dean Robinson at the club in 2012. At the time, neither man was under investigation by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority. What is of further interest is the allegation that Darren "the Gazelle" Hibbert was engaged by the Bulldogs in some capacity. When approached, Hibbert said: "I had no official role with the Bulldogs in 2012." The documents being exchanged relate to the upcoming case between Sportsdata and the NRL in their Federal Court dispute about who has the right to do the stats for the code. The head of Sportsdata, Andrew Moufarrige, is alleging that the NRL cut him off in part because of his relationship with Dank. This will be brought up in court. A letter written by Martin Downing, from Ebsworth Lawyers, for Sportsdata says: "Mr Moufarrige was introduced to Mr Dank by Des Hasler when he was at the Manly Sea Eagles. The 2012 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs were the last NRL club to contact Mr Moufarrige regarding the services of Mr Dank and Mr Dean Robinson. Mr Moufarrige was called about both men by the Bulldogs who were looking to get their contact numbers in an attempt to engage their services. The Bulldogs did engage the services of Mr Hibbert in 2012, who is central to the ASADA investigations. Mr Moufarrige does not know and has never met Mr Hibbert."

Buddy's body joins Sharks

The Sharks used to have Elle Macpherson as a high-profile supporter of the club – and it now appears they have the new age version of "The Body" on board – Jesinta Campbell, Buddy Franklin's better half. Campbell did a great job hosting a Sharks Women in League function during the week and confessed that, until that day, she did not have a league team to support. "But, given that I'm here with the Sharks today, I think they will be my team," she said. "I don't know much about league. I'm just grasping the AFL at the moment. I kind of know what's going on." She was confident enough to give Buddy advice – but that won't be happening again. "I said to him 'babe, maybe you need to run a bit more'. It didn't go down that well. Now that I've got a team to support, I might just have to ask him to take me on a date to the league one day." Jesinta says she and Buddy are enjoying their life in Sydney. "He's loving the new challenge and I'm so happy he is up here," she said. "All the boys have been great to him. I much prefer wearing red and white rather than brown and yellow." And she is now the proud owner of a new jeep, after Buddy smashed it. "If he improves his driving skills, I might let him drive it." The couple are looking forward to the Swans' upcoming bye so they can dash off overseas for a brief break.

Hindmarsh slights Slater

Former Eels and Blues great Nathan Hindmarsh used the "G" word while hosting the NRL's Women in League function during the week. Hindmarsh referred to Billy Slater as a "grub" – he did it with a goofy smile on his face – but that kind of thing is never lost on the Queensland team. They will be incensed that one of their own was bagged during an NRL function.

Lewis faces cancer scare

Sonia Lewis, wife of Luke Lewis, has opened up about her cancer scare. Sonia was diagnosed with a melanoma when she had a mole removed above her eye for aesthetic purposes. "I dodged a bullet – I got the mole removed and four days later they told me the news," she said. "I've got a scar over my eye but I genuinely believe that I have someone watching over me. I have olive skin and did not expect it . . . a few more months down the track and who knows. Luke has been through his own cancer situation and he was just an amazing support to me. He just told me not to panic, get it down and worry about later if we have to. I was in a bad way when I first heard and I couldn't have gotten through it without Luke and support from family and friends."

Gallop keeps to a walk

FFA boss David Gallop refused the invitation of several journos to walk into the Women in League function on Wednesday. Gallop had just finished his duties announcing the World Cup squad at the venue beside the league function. He was greeted with open arms by several of his former staff – not that there are too many left with staff leaving NRL HQ as quickly as they can. Gallop walked past, head held high, with league a fond but increasingly distant memory. Meanwhile, Dave Smith had to face an angry media pack – who are fed up with his spin and evasiveness. Amazingly, he was taken to task about that at the media conference. Smith also admitted that he hadn't been heavily involved with the Mitchell Pearce situation – he didn't even watch the full CCTV vision of the evening – relying on what he saw on Nine News. Clearly his spin doctors were briefing him on that situation.

Wright hopes to be right

The SCG Trust elections are a month-long process – with 29 people running for a two positions. There are some high-quality candidates – including Phil Waugh – but there is an old rugby star who has considerable support, Ken Wright. He is always at the facility – his fitness regime is legendary. And he knows what the members are after. "My view is that members are not given the regard that they deserve," he said. "I speak to the members a lot and know what their complaints are. I'd like to be able to get involved for that reason."

Birth may propel Blues

Greg Inglis' partner, Sally, could be the Blues' secret weapon – she is just a couple of weeks away from giving birth and, given Inglis' strong family values and the fact that he is about to have his first child, he wants to be by her side when she gives birth. We can only hope the couple have a healthy bub – and that she gives birth at around kick-off time when the Blues play Queensland.